AI Can Plan the Trip, but Co-brand Cards Still Influence the Decision
- Sarah Langmead
- Jun 15
- 4 min read
These days, it’s difficult to escape the AI buzz. As consumers become increasingly familiar with tools like ChatGPT, Microsoft CoPilot, and Google Gemini, they’re experiencing the ease of use and value of AI firsthand, especially when it comes to travel.
In fact, travel planning has emerged as one of the most natural AI use cases. According to recent research, over half (54%) of U.S. adults say they would be comfortable letting AI plan a trip from start to finish.1 But perhaps most importantly, only 12% of those U.S. adults would trust AI to book travel without their final approval.1 Consumers cite concerns around expensive mistakes (46%) and lack of human oversight (36%) as key reasons for hesitating to give AI full control.1
Taken together, these findings point to an important reality: While AI is rapidly becoming embedded in the travel-planning process, there is still a clear desire for human involvement, particularly when it comes to making final travel decisions. And that’s good news for co-brand travel card marketers.
How Are Consumers Using AI for Travel Planning?
Before marketers can respond, though, it’s critical to understand what they’re up against. Specifically, how are consumers using AI in the travel planning process today? Recent findings from eMarketer2 help bring this into focus:
The picture here is clear: Today, AI is functioning primarily as a travel recommendation engine. Consumers are using these tools to:
Compare prices.
Explore destination options.
Build itineraries.
But notably, they are less likely to rely on AI when it comes to booking or loyalty decisions. To stay competitive in an AI-shaped journey, card marketers must rethink how and when their value shows up. This isn’t just about updating messaging. It’s also about adapting to a reality where consumers are forming opinions and narrowing choices earlier than ever before.
Refine Channel Strategies for AI Legibility
Historically, co-brand card messaging has lived primarily within owned channels (e.g., product pages, email, loyalty hubs) and down-funnel acquisition touchpoints (e.g., paid search, retargeting, and point of booking). But in an AI-driven journey, influence is moving earlier and more diffusely into:
AI-assisted search and planning environments
Upper-funnel comparison moments
Simplified, summary-style outputs where brand detail is compressed
As a result, travel co-brand card messaging must evolve across both owned channels, where value is explained in full, and in acquisition campaigns, where value must be quickly understood and AI legible.
To keep pace, co-brand card marketers should focus on two shifts:
Design for Summary Moments: AI-driven recommendations condense options into simplified outputs. Acquisition messaging should be clear, outcome driven, and immediately understandable.
Front-Load Value in Owned Channels: Consumers are arriving at information faster than ever before, so it is imperative that product pages and user experience flows surface the most compelling value up front using simple language, clear prioritization, and use-case-driven framing.
Differentiate Beyond What AI Optimizes For
While AI tools can recommend the “best” options based on data inputs, they often struggle to capture more experiential and emotional drivers of choice — things like recognition, comfort, consistency, and access to elevated travel experiences. These are the areas where travel co-brand cards tend to deliver outsized value.
Rather than competing on attributes that AI already surfaces, we recommend that co-brand card marketers lean into what AI can’t easily quantify:
Elevated experiences unlocked through status
Seamless, consistent stays across trips
Access to moments that feel exclusive or personalized
In other words, if AI helps travelers find a good option, co-brand cards should reinforce why their choice is the better one.
Simplify and Translate Card Value
As AI compresses decision-making into faster, more streamlined interactions, complex value propositions, like the ones typically offered by travel co-brand card products, are at risk of being overlooked or misunderstood. Benefits like points, elite tiers, bonus categories, and free night awards are powerful but can require some marketing real estate to properly explain.
This is particularly important in moments where consumers are evaluating options quickly and with limited context. To remain competitive, card marketers should shift from describing benefits to translating outcomes. That means:
Turning rewards into tangible real-world value
Framing perks in ways that align with specific use cases
Simplifying messaging so it can be easily understood (and surfaced) within AI tools
The goal is not to reduce the richness of the benefits’ value but rather to make them more easily tangible across both owned and acquisition touchpoints, especially in moments where travel decisions are being shaped quickly.
Reinforce Confidence with Human Support
Perhaps the most important insight from the data is this: Consumers want AI to assist in but not “own” travel decision-making. Even as travelers increasingly rely on AI for inspiration and planning, they still want reassurance when it comes time to commit.
For travel co-brand card marketers, this means ensuring that both acquisition messaging and owned channel experiences clearly reinforce the role of the card as a source of support, not just rewards. We recommend highlighting elements like:
Customer service and concierge support
Travel protections and issue resolution
Flexibility in booking and cancellations
By doing so, marketers can position their co-brand cards as confidence layers and position themselves as partners in these new search journeys. This isn’t about competing with AI — it’s about complementing it.
The Bottom Line
AI may simplify the travel planning process, but it does not eliminate uncertainty. Co-brand cards that reinforce control, transparency, and support can help bridge that gap, giving consumers the confidence to move from consideration to commitment. As AI continues to reshape how consumers discover and evaluate travel options, the co-brand cards that win won’t just be the ones that get recommended; they’ll be the ones that clearly communicate value, reinforce confidence, and remain relevant at the exact moment a decision is made.
By: Sarah Langmead, Strategy Director
At Pragmatic, we help travel and financial services brands evolve co-brand card strategies for today’s AI-driven consumer journeys. We’re here to help you refine acquisition messaging, simplify value, and ensure your card products remain visible and competitive at the moments that matter most.
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